2014 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship

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The 2014 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship season was an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship was contested by a combination of regulations with Group N competing directly against Super 2000 cars for points.

Contents

The championship began in New Zealand on 11 April and concluded in China on 9 November. The Asia Cup sub-championship had been due to continue to a 7 December finish in Thailand, but this event was cancelled. The championship was held over six events with a candidate event included as part of the Asia Cup. A second candidate event in India was scheduled to be held in India but proximity of local parliamentary elections restricted the event's ability to upgrade competitive stages within the timeframe allowed by the early season. The rally was rescheduled until the end of the local season and its APRC status removed.

The championship was won by European champion Jan Kopecký driving a Team MRF prepared Škoda Fabia. Kopecký wrapped up the championship early after his victory at Rally Hokkaido, the third of his four victories in the six-event season. [1] [2] Defending champion Gaurav Gill won the other two rallies and held second in the championship until the final rally. Two late season failures allowed him to be overtaken by New Zealand Proton driver Michael Young. Škoda won the manufacturers championship from Mitsubishi. Team MRF – with drivers Kopecký and Gill – won all six rallies, winning the teams title from Japanese Subaru team Cusco Racing. [3]

Kopecký won the Pacific Cup in dominant fashion with almost double the points of his nearest competitors. Young and Australian Mitsubishi driver Mark Pedder tied for second, with Young being awarded the runners up position on countback.

Japanese Subaru driver Yuya Sumiyama won the Asia Cup, finishing 50 points clear of Sri Lankan Subaru driver Dinesh Deheragoda. Gill faded to fourth in the Asia Cup after failing to finish at Rally Hokkaido and Rally China Longyou.

Selected entries

IconCup
AAsia Cup
PPacific Cup
ConstructorCarTeamDriverCo-driverCupClassRounds
Škoda Škoda Fabia S2000 Flag of India.svg Team MRF Flag of India.svg Gaurav Gill Flag of Australia (converted).svg Glenn MacNeallRC2All
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jan Kopecký Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Pavel DreslerPRC2All
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Young Motorsport TS Club Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Jun Xu Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Sheng LiuRC21, 3–5
Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Flag of Australia (converted).svg Pedders Suspension Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Pedder Flag of Australia (converted).svg Claire RyanPRC21–4
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dale Moscatt6
Renault Renault Clio R3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tom Wilde Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bill HayesRC31–2
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony McLoughlin3
Proton Proton Satria Neo Flag of Japan.svg Cusco Racing Flag of New Zealand.svg Michael Young Flag of Australia (converted).svg Erin KellyRC31
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Malcolm Read2–6
Subaru Subaru Impreza WRX STI Flag of India.svg Sanjay Takle Flag of Malaysia.svg Sean GregoryRC21–5

Event calendar and results

The 2014 APRC was as follows: [4]

RoundRally namePodium finishersStatistics
RankDriverCarTimeStagesLengthStartersFinishers
1 Flag of New Zealand.svg International Rally of Whangarei
(11–13 April) [5]
1 Flag of India.svg Gaurav Gill Škoda Fabia S2000 2:11:39.714220.87 km4825
2 Flag of New Zealand.svg Richard Mason Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2:11:50.9
3 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jan Kopecký Škoda Fabia S2000 2:11:51.6
- Flag of India.svg Rally of India
(26–27 April)
event cancelled [6]
2 Flag of France.svg Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie
(16–18 May) [7]
1 Flag of France.svg Emmanuel Guigou Renault Clio R3 2:08:10.817144.09 km2613
2 Flag of France.svg Patrick Christian Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 2:13:43.8
3 Flag of France.svg Claude Clavel Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 2:16:40.1
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg International Rally of Queensland
(20–22 June) [8]
1 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jan Kopecký Škoda Fabia S2000 2:20:09.115222.30 km5128
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Scott Pedder Renault Clio R3 2:21:18.4
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brendan Reeves Mazda 2 2:23:21.1
4 Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysian Rally
(15–17 August) [9]
1 Flag of India.svg Gaurav Gill Škoda Fabia S2000 3:01:23.214217.40 km3330
2 Flag of Japan.svg Yuya Sumiyama Subaru Impreza WRX STi 3:12:14.5
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Pedder Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 3:14:25.7
5 Flag of Japan.svg Rally Hokkaido
(26–28 September) [10]
1 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jan Kopecký Škoda Fabia S2000 2:12:29.518222.80 km2519
2 Flag of Japan.svg Toshihiro Arai Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2:13:11.8
3 Flag of Japan.svg Hiroshi Yanagisawa Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2:16:09.2
6 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Rally China Longyou
(7–9 November) [11]
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Chris Atkinson Volkswagen Golf SCRC 2:51:56.013230.92 km11046
2 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jan Kopecký Škoda Fabia S2000 2:57:10.3
3 Flag of Japan.svg Yuya Sumiyama Subaru Impreza WRX STi 3:01:07.5
- Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand Rally
(5–7 December)
event cancelled [12]

Championship standings

The 2014 APRC for Drivers points was as follows: [3] [13]

Pos.DriverVehicle Flag of New Zealand.svg
NZL
Flag of France.svg
NCL
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
AUS
Flag of Malaysia.svg
MAL
Flag of Japan.svg
JPN
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
CHN
Total
1 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jan Kopecký Škoda Fabia S2000 2 131 101 14Ret 71 141 14190
2 Flag of New Zealand.svg Michael Young Proton Satria Neo 6 43 95 65 54 92 12118
3 Flag of India.svg Gaurav Gill Škoda Fabia S2000 1 132 10Ret1 13RetRet104
4 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Xu Jun Škoda Fabia S2000 5 73 103 102 1297
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Pedder Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 3 10Ret 72 122 10Ret90
6 Flag of India.svg Sanjay Takale Subaru Impreza WRX STi 7 2Ret 56 44 73 968
7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tom Wilde Renault Clio R3 4 7Ret 64 845
Key
ColourResult
GoldWinner
Silver2nd place
Bronze3rd place
GreenPoints finish
BlueNon-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleDid not finish (Ret)
BlackExcluded (EX)
Disqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Cancelled (C)
BlankWithdrew entry from
the event (WD)

Note: 1 12 refers to the bonus points awarded for each leg of the rally for the first five place getters, 1st (7), 2nd (5), 3rd (3), 4th (2), 5th (1). There were two bonus legs for each rally.

Pacific Cup

Pos.DriverVehicle Flag of New Zealand.svg
NZL
Flag of France.svg
NCL
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
AUS
Total
1 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jan Kopecký Škoda Fabia S2000 1 141 111 14114
2 Flag of New Zealand.svg Michael Young Proton Satria Neo 4 82 114 465
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Pedder Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2 12Ret 72 1065
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tom Wilde Renault Clio R3 3 10Ret 63 646

Asia Cup

Pos.DriverVehicle Flag of Malaysia.svg
MAL
Flag of Japan.svg
JPN
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
CHN
Total
1 Flag of Japan.svg Yuya Sumiyama Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2 111 141 14107
2 Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Dinesh Deheragoda Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 6 35 62 1257
3 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Jun Xu Škoda Fabia S2000 3 102 1256
4 Flag of India.svg Sanjay Takale Subaru Impreza WRX STi 5 73 1042
5 Flag of India.svg Gaurav Gill Škoda Fabia S2000 1 14RetRet39
6 Flag of Japan.svg Tomohide Hasegawa Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 7 34 829
7 Flag of Japan.svg Mitsuhiro Kunisawa Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4 719

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